Across New York, our livelihoods are under attack. After years of massive layoffs and high rates of unemployment, wages and benefits are being cut from what used to be middle class jobs. On top of that, workers are working longer hours without overtime pay, health insurance or any retirement benefits.

Meanwhile minimum wage jobs are the fastest growing sector in the state growing ten-fold over the past five years.

A minimum wage earner employed full time makes just of $15,000/ year. That’s hardly enough to get by in New York. And many low-wage workers have tips and wages stolen by employers, forcing them to survive on even less.

Full-time work shouldn’t keep you in poverty. It’s time for workers to band together and demand respect in our work places. It is time to tell our elected officials that New York needs a raise. It’s time for broader prosperity across the country.

You're essentially talking about hitting the Walmart shopper with higher prices. I agree in the long run it's a good tradeoff, but i doubt you'll get it passed as a law or regulation. I'm not sure you can overcome the short term self interest people have. I don't have the economics background to know all the implications of giving American made products favorable treatment.

I use Walmart as a surrogate for all outlets selling cheeper foreign made merchandise. It isn't the Walton's or any other rich owner or stockholder that will suffer or stop your plan. The greedy in this case are the people that choose to buy items at a small fraction of the cost that American made items cost. It's the typical consumer with his short sighted desire for lower prices that will sink it, if he can't be convinced.

Unions have been warning consumers for decades to buy American, but people want cheep. It's been ignored and the result is the loss of jobs. That isn't the fault of merchants, it's the fault of consumers. I don't support the Walmart model, I just acknowledge that they would not be successful selling foreign goods if people were willing to buy American and support American jobs.

To be honest why would the Walton's care if people were willing to pay more for American made goods, they can still get richer on the same 3 or 4% profit on more expensive items. They are simply responding to the selfish, short sighted, consumerism of the typical shopper.

It is not the consumers fault for wanting cheap goods. They can't afford anything else because owners (like walmart) are keeping American as wage slaves.

The problem is the corp owners who decided they would send manufact jobs overseas because it was cheaper. They bought off our politicians while we were on the couch watching sports and hollywood movies.

eliminate the laws that reward sending jobs overseas. Punish them if they do. Reward them if they bring jobs back.

Putting the disagreement aside, your solution is workable, if you could get it passed. I just see it as likely to be defeated by the same ordinary people it's supposed to help.

This didn't happen yesterday, it's been going on literally for decades. All the "Buy American" campaigns put on by unions have fallen of deaf ears. Corporations are certainly motivated by profit, but they can't compete with foreign made goods when you're manufacturing things here.

There is a reason Walmart is always busy and Sears and Penny's could hold bowling tournaments most days in their stores. People are looking for the lowest price and will vote down a plan if they think it will result in higher prices.

There is also the issue of how difficult it is to secure full-time employment. I have a four-year degree, and at my last job, the best one I could find, I was only allowed to write 39.5 hours on my slip each week so that I would not get benefits.

The one percenters or should I say .001 pecenters- hide at least 21 trillion dollars from the tax authorities of various countries- let's see, 21 trillion divided by 7 billion people- $3,000 for every man woman and child on earth! I say they need to have every last dime in their pockets and the shirts on their backs confiscated as ill gotten and their wealth used to end poverty world wide.

Wow! I like to think about if I ever got rich how I would spend the money. After taking care of my family and friends, I would want to do something that helped people to help themselves, like funds to help start-up small businesses and discounts on hybrid cars and scholarships for school, etc. Of course I was thinking if I were just a small-time millionaire of some sort, in which case if I gave everyone in the world something it would be a fraction of a penny. But $21 trillion, that actually amounts to something individually.

Wow thats good. I suppose it might be difficult to achieve. But certainly they hoard the money (they got from the 99%) And getting it into the economy will help everyone, So I support some measure of what you suggest.

" I suppose it might difficult to achieve. "
Just have to apply the laws to everyone equally, that's all. Probably Mitt Romney was caught with hidden assets in a Swiss bank account with UBS and took an amnesty in 2009. So, this money can be found. Just need to make believe these .001%ers live in a project and act accordingly.

Here we go again, a single day of action. Name a group that fought injustice for just one day and accomplished anything?

Minimum wage workers certainly have every right to strike for higher pay. They need to form their own union and collectively bargain. At the same time they need the support from those not striking to stop patronizing any businesses that hire scabs or refuse to raise the minimum wage.

A national strike should begin every May 1st to coincide with May Day. The raise in wage should be just a dollar or two, but consistent over a number of years. Asking for too high a wage will multiply the resistance to it. Weeks or months is usually how long effective strikes take. They are not easy, but if we are to make any real progress in the war against economic equality, this is where the battle should begin.

You can continue to be negative. your goals are clear. You attempt to discourage all actions the good brave protesters of OWS attempt.

You spend much energy stating "the parties are the same" (which is ridiculous) so that you can serve the 1% plutocrats by trying to convince progressive leaning voters here to give up their right to vote.

You take every opportunity to insult and offend any who disagree with your attempts at discouraging action.

I've mentioned my thoughts in much earlier posts. When OWS got started I saw it as having an opportunity to recruit candidates from outside the ranks of the lifetime politicians. There were Occupy groups all across the country, many people could have been run in congressional primaries and actually made some changes possible. Even losses in many districts could still have influenced politicians to lean in our direction for Occupy support.

I saw Occupy as a new civil rights movement. They offered a focal point to organize around. Agitation is only a part of what has to happen. Occupy chose to stand outside the process though. To paraphrase your comment, I see the protest only approach as just criticizing, it alone won't get politicians to do what we want them to do.

Occupy is still here, in a diminished form, allowing itself to lend numbers to protests by other groups. It may linger for years, but, in my opinion, the real opportunity has passed.

Well Occupy just had a meeting in Philly, and the non political anarchists were consensed down. The philly group decided to issue a list of political ideas/agenda/positions. So that's something

Many Candidates are running who claim to be Occupy candidates (whether Occupy proper supports them or not). My own rep is supported by Working Families Party and speaks passionately about the OWS agenda.

Many politicians (Not repubs, they only viciously attack) speak out in favor of Occupy during this election cycle. Many other politicians (progressives) support the issues that Occupy has spoke out about.

I agree with you the movement missed an opportunity to create more change. This is because Occupy is preoccupied with "no leaders" "consensus". I think there is value in it. But I think there is risk as well.

The movement is so young. It has been diminished. But we should not add to that diminishment. We should lift all non violent efforts up. Look for the progress you support. Create some momentum yourself towards the political goals we need.

The course of action left to me is that which any good individual would follow, my voting won't change. It's just frustrating to have to do it more or less alone.

There may be a reborn Occupy in a few cities, but the attacks made by the anarchists on any of us that wanted political action from the start has left a bad taste in my mouth. I drop by here occasionally only to see what's being said or to make an occasional comment.

I teach high school, with Occupy I've had that same feeling I get what I watch a child with tremendous potential throw it away over some misconceived notion or action. They will either change on their own or fail, they won't accept help or advice.

Well. Much is happening. The movement will naturally evolve towards political action. This election is going to occur with minimal Occupy involvement, but many people will be a little better informed when they go to the polls because of occupy.

You are not alone. And the movement will accept help. Enough people agree with you that anarchists will be outnumbered.

I certainly agree. No matter what your philosophy if all you're going to do is protest then you're likely to fail. The AARP, NRA, civil rights movement, anti-war movement, environmental groups, all have had a measure of success because they support candidates that support their goals. If you don't participate in the system you're not going to be able to change it.

Solidarity is necessary for a class that means to promote and foster, and that has nothing to do with the philanthropic attitudes towards the “poor worker” left jobless. To the reduction of the working day we add, alongside, another absolutely complementary claim, that of wages for the unemployed - these two claims can not be separated.

Let me guess. The 47% refers to segment of people that do not pay income tax?Ok. Here are some facts the people you listen to neglected to include. There are more taxes than just on income. Total tax rate for all Americans is 28%. This includes state, local, excise, sales, property, and other taxes.

The wealthiest 20% pay about a 29-30% tax rate.

Those making just $26,000 a year pay about a 25% tax rate.

The poor pay about 17%. Try deducting that from $7.25 an hour and manage to pay your bills.

The share of taxes that both the the rich and poor pay is actually fairly close to their share of income. The top 1% earn a 21% share of the income and pay a 21.6% share of the taxes. The poor earn a 3.4% share of the income and pay a 2.1% share of the taxes.

One more big difference. The rich pay taxes from their surplus. The poor pay taxes from their necessity.

New York Taxi drivers show up at the fleet garage three or four hours before shift change in hope of getting a car to work that night. Even a "tip" to the dispatcher doesn't always do the trick. The alternative is to agree to a six shift week. Then you're more or less guaranteed work. Other drivers are roped in to a so called "Driver Owned Vehicle" plan. This means they own the payment book for a car that's registered to the medallion owner. If the driver gets sick or hurt, too bad, he either pays or loses the car. In the days of the "tax and spend Democrats" taxi leasing was against the law, called "horse hiring" (the driver being the horse). This taxi leasing at that time was understood by all to be an abuse of workers. If the driver couldn't get to work he was out sick- maybe no sick pay but at least he didn't owe the boss $130.00.

Then there are home health workers. Exempt from minimum wage they "sleep over" for something like five dollars- and that "sleep" is usually mythological. Usually there is no bed for the worker and she must respond to the patient at all times during her "sleep." This form of slavery is I guess the one percent solution to care of the aging boomers. Have an immigrant woman change the diapers in the middle of the night - for free.

Even with nurses who work in hospitals, as does someone in my family, they're in charge of seven post-surgical patients for a 12+ hour shift, with no time to sit down and eat or take a break. Would you really want someone that busy and tired looking after you post-op? No way.

Just having a living room conversation with my husband about this very issue - we both work full time and struggle so much - just can't get anywhere - what we're paid is not affording us a way forward. He's had wages stolen, hasn't been compensated for pay, his private union is not protecting him, i can't imagine how bad it would get in his workplace without the union if it is as bad as it is with it. The company is getting ready for the end of Unions they're pushing boundaries ever since the "Right to work Act" is being pushed over the nation. I'm a secretary and haven't seen a pay increase in 15 years. I make the same pay as I did before Bush took office. I actually have had my pay decreased but my duties increased. Nearly thirty percent of our pay is chopped off our small paychecks for taxes and we think that corporations and government are testing us like they do with gas prices. What will America accept as the "new normal" in regards to the unemployment rate or taxes? (as in how much can gas increase before massive protest.) Not very long from now will 25% unemployment become the new normal? They speculate $7.00 a gallon like in Europe will be the new gas normal. They speculate food will go up do to drought. But they're bleeding us dry now and we're already so squeezed there is nothing extra. We can reach further into our pockets and find lint. And corporations still won't be forced to stop outsourcing jobs to slave labor in third world nations. They want us to become a third world caste system and they don't care. One party is as bad as the other they both serve Wall Street and we all know that this is destroying America and our way of life. It is a country of stagnation innovation will suffer. My boyfriend keeps saying many innovators were people in factories seeing the products being made coming up with and adding to ideas - which are not thought of behind a desk a world away. Monopolies are forcing us into reliance - fixing markets with no choices no mobility, no creativity we are likely to become a country of drones serving an upper elite class who will blame us for our own demise. And if we continue to do nothing they will be right.

I would like to offer an alternative. I think we should be Occupying WASHINGTON. It is our right to rule Government and that Government rules Wall St. So I say take back Washington! Demand the True Democracy that we are now capable of. One man One Vote. No more representatives to sell us out. We want the power and we have the technology to bring that vote right into our homes. TRUE DEMOCRACY is what we should be fighting for. With it we will control Wall St. and the healthcare system, and our own economy. Until we t"Throw the bums out, we will never have the power. Take back Washington!! Just my two cents, PW

You guys really don't get it. The people you are protesting against can't give you a better job. The system is dying. The jobs are not coming back. It's called technological unemployment. You are fighting the wrong people and you're fighting for the wrong things. You should be fighting for less work and more pay. This is why the 99% is losing. We don't know our heads from our asses. We're silly enough to believe that camping outside and shouting at people with silly signs is going to make a difference.

We are. Some of us are even fighting for an economy not based on work or pay at all. Stop being so condescending, telling us why we are "losing" (we aren't). If you aren't interested in helping us change the world, get out of our way.

It's hard to consider myself free when the consequences of my dwindling bank account are very real. This suffering is real; if you're saying I'm free to suffer, then sure.

Freedom for me would have to involve money. I need money to get health insurance for my family so that when they are sick they can get treated. That's the big one for me, currently. If I had enough money to where I did not have to worry about money, then I would be free of the system. Otherwise, I'm locked in. I see no other way to potentially alleviate the issues with my family.

Of course, money is control. It's used to control our government also. But we have the real power. That's our problem - our ignorance. And until we learn to use that power we will just have to suffer and die by the thousand and then by the millions. People, you actually have to do something to achieve real change. Doing the same thing over and over (voting) and then complaining about the results is insane. We know our government is broken.Voting can't and wont fix our government.

So until we get the back bone to do the real hard work that is necessary to fix our government so we can take care of ourselves and our families, we will just have to take it until we can take it no more.

yes! yes! yes! we are the new aristocracy! read what the bible says!!! daniel2 the stone cut out without hands is the silicon chip which grows into a great mountain that fills the whole earth: the worldwide web! in genesis it says work is the curse and marijuana is prohibited! revelations says there shall be no more curse and marijuana will be growing everywhere! the silicon chip has created automation and mass unemployment! the end of the babylon slavery system. CHANT DOWN BABYLON Om namah Shivaya!